Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1887-04-14
A NEGRO FUNERAL.
Queer Ceremonies of Old voudoO Days 4tiu
Prevailing in the South.

Prevailing I'm the South.
Not long since was visiting one of
The towns in upper South Carolina
md friend were taking an afternoon
| Broll into the adjoining country. We
had proceeded some distance, and were
passing through a dense wood, when
suddenly my companion stopped and
nervously inquired whats that ?"
came to halt, and listened. A
weird, mournful sound f1oated through
| the trees and reached our ears. 1t
seemed to come only a short distance !;
| appeared to emanate from the copse on
| the other side of the road. We crossed
over, and followed, bent upon investi-
eating what it was. We had scarcely
gained the opposite thicket when we
debOuched into one of those country
burial grounds which are to be found
near every hamlet in South Carolina.
1t was a strange picture that met our
sight, and one that belonged more TO
heather lands than to our own civilized
country. There, around a newly made
grave, about twenty-five negroes were
collected. They all held hands, and
were slowly moving to and fro, while
they walled forth dirges, and at inter-
walls would calculate wild. incoherent
words. In the midst of the circle, at
the head of the grave, an old woman
sat who rocked backward and forward.
Her eyes rolled wildly, and she moved
in a mechanical way. This was the
widow of the deceased, and it was her
required part in the ceremony to loudly
moan ut appointed intervals during the
singing. Something in this way their
hymn sounded, rs nearly as l could
catch the words:
De white horse he rode
Wild de sickle in he hand,
And slew down brudder
From among our earthly band.
moan! sister moan!
And here the widow would reintro-
duce her heathenish lamentations.
These were kept up for some time,
when suddenly they ceased, and the
negroes Frustrated themselves upon the
ground, while the minister, tall, very
dark negro, stood and offered up
prayer. After the amen was
uttered they rose, and two of the num-
Der took from basket near some
articles with which they deco
rated the grave, as if they
were placing upon the tomb floral
offerings. They then slowly formed
in procession and silently marched
out of the Enclosure. My friend and 1,
curious to decide what the peculiar
mode of grave decoration was, pro-
ceeded to the spot where an old man
was shouldering his spade to quit the
place.
''Why, old man." said I. "what are
those things they have left on the
gravep Bottles, shoes, jug! Why,
what does it all mean?"
"Well, BOSS said the ebony grave
digger, with an air of Importance,
''you see, we puts de articles dat de de-
parted brTdder use to use on de grade
for to keep away de bad sperrits, and
'spose it is sort OBJ 'spectful way oh
treating de memory oh de lost sister or
brudder. You see, dars de bottle dat
he take the medicine from when he be
sick. And dars de jug, it had de last
dram he drunk fore he jined de tenn
perance meetin', an de boots, L 'spose
dey de shoes dat ee gwine to change
for de golden slippers dat he put on
when he jine de BAN up yander," and
a beam of placid faith illuminated the
old black face.
1t certainly was a strange sight. |
Here were numberless graves, all
bearing the same picturesque decora- |
tons. Children's graves were covered |
with broken toys, tin horns, gaudily |
colored clay cats. dogs and owls. One
mound was almost beat to the ground |
with age, and on it rested in dilapidation
an old hat and the remnants of banjo, |
also clay pipe and a coon skin. Near
by them was the grave of a blacksmith,
with the implements of his craft !
wedged in the ground, and rusty horse
shoes formed circle around the |
mound.
Looking around the strange scene, !
it was difficult for me to realize that ] |
was in a land of advancement and CIVIL |
ization while surrounded by such |
relics of superstition and barbarism. / |
was forced to believe that the negro in |
stead of progressing in religious views,
is daily evincing a tendency to fall |
back to fetichism and voudooism, his |
original form of worship. 1t prevails |
among the negroes, especially on the |
islands in the lower portion of the |
State. They do not, it is true, give |
alteration to animals, trees and stones, |
as the fetch worshipers did centuries |
ago, but the difference is very slight |
from that of idolatry.-Atlarsta Co1s-
Stittltion.
"A great many people make the |